Italy has long been a focal inspiration in the collective memories of travellers from past to present. The sugary La Dolce Villa, a recently released film on Netflix, aptly describes the perennial fascination with Italian culture and cuisine. But pre-Internet streaming, the world was already rapt in the ideas and the visions of recreating the Italian la dolce vita. Let’s start with a segue to Bangkok in 1923, during the reign of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), when nobleman Ammart Aek Praya Chollabhumipanich (Colonel Praya Chollabhumipanich) constructed a stately Italian-inspired home on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.
During that time, known as the golden age of culture and the arts, Italian architects were ubiquitous in the Thai capital. Then known as Ban Bang Yee Khan, the Palladio mansion was designed to be shielded by towering trees by the river and accessible only by boat.
Today, faithful to Colonel Chollabhumipanich’s vision, the mansion is reached only by river craft, in the same (but shorter in duration) style of how travellers would travel from Como to Bellagio on Lake Como—with a stretch of the imagination, of course.
The structure is now a 15-room boutique hotel, Praya Palazzo, which retains nearly all of its original characteristics. Interiors are classically Thai-Occidental, with sunshine yellows, majestic maroons, and deep purples, and embedded with antique armoires and crystal chandeliers that take guests back in time to the 1920s.
To reach Praya Palazzo, one needs to call the hotel, which will then send its boat across the river from Phra Arthit pier. The journey takes a little more than two minutes before stepping into an Edenic garden, a world away from the city’s frenetic energies. Next to the manicured greenery is a swimming pool and cabana area for hotel guests to soak up some rays and enjoy a cocktail or two.
Learning From The Best
Most visitors to the property are here for the Michelin-worthy Royal Thai cuisine. Chef Jo Patnithi (pictured above) at the hotel’s restaurant, Praya Dining, is a culinary preserver of recipes from the country’s royal eras. During a cooking masterclass with him, guests not only learn about how to prepare and cook Thai dishes properly; they also learn about noticing nuances and savouring subtleties in tastes that redefines one’s culinary raison d’être.
I learnt all that, and more, during the course of a little more than two hours one afternoon. During a mid-week lull, I embarked on a culinary immersion into the secrets of Thai cooking. The activity was the perfect way to unpack and get some distance from what was already an insanely busy year. I mentioned to Chef Jo that the grilled spicy mushroom salad was already a favourite, having ordered the dish three times during my two-night stay. So, generously, Chef Jo agreed to deconstruct the salad’s elements—fresh galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, fresh chilli sauce (the version served with seafood), tamarind sauce, fresh lime, sugar, and fish sauce. These items, as anyone who knows Thai food would realise, are staple ingredients. But as this was a masterclass, Chef Jo gave me a no-holds-barred introduction to the varieties of Thai dishes served at palaces.
The all-important lesson: similar to life, flavours must be layered. This meant that the fish sauce, the sugar and the salt are added with restraint and intention. Two teaspoons of the first two to start, and half a teaspoon of the third, with each ingredient blending with the other two. When combined with the mushrooms (sliced and grilled with oil) and the combination of fresh herbs, the tastes must both ‘pop’ (thanks to the salt) and yet have the patience and the confidence so as not to be too over-the-top and boring.
The food and life lessons continued with the Rattanakosin-era recipe of tom kha hed, creamy coconut soup with mushrooms (which can be swapped for chicken) and lemongrass. Taking the same approach, Chef Jo showed his culinary chops with his fresh coconut milk concoction with the same layering and taste testing (at least three times) of flavours, and using most of the same ingredients as the salad, minus the tamarind juice. The result: a broth that was seriously savoury, sweet, tart, and with a hint of salt, and paired exceptionally with steaming jasmine rice.
A Hidden Boutique Hotel
The hotel’s Michelin-awarded Praya Dining restaurant is an artfully configured space with antiques and other historic details that reflects its past as a residence of Thai nobles. Guests enjoy breakfast in the sun-dappled space that still retains its homely personality. For instance, one afternoon, I popped in to ask for a jug of milk for my in-room coffees. During the rest of the time, all that was needed as entertainment was the sweet-sounding birdsong that, perhaps, is the same soundtrack as when Colonel Chollabhumipanich and his family were in residence.
